The Fragmented Memories of the Future Past
by IQSymphic
Summary: It is the Third Shinobi war and the Hidden Leaf Village is finding itself on the brink of defeat. Upset with the outcome of the war, the ninjas of Konoha decide to ride their hope upon the impossible - sending Naruto back to the past...


**The Broken Dimension**

**Disclaimer** - The world, characters, and all those associated with this popular brand is not mine, I'm merely using my awesome imagination to fit the pieces as I see fit, that is all.

**Small Keynotes (for this chapter)**

"Text" - Dialogue

_"Text" - _Belonging to appropriate speaker's

**"Text" **- Kyuubi's dialogue

_**"Text"** _- Kyuubi's mental dialogue

* * *

"I've never seen you around these parts before."

Ricefield, the capital of Hidden Village of Sound, was one of the rare standing countries that had an unusually high traffic in the ravaged war lands. The town was crawling with women that enjoyed a touch of madness at the brim of their inhibitions. They were the main reason that many unfulfilled libidos arrived to the city. It was easy to see them seductively swaying down the street, hints of danger and passion, intoxicating those that dared to take a closer peek. They also came in various flavors, ranging from a lightly stirred coffee all the way to a rich, dark chocolate. Some of them were wearing skin-tight dark bodysuits, ones that were barely covered by a miniature skirt and a too-small jacket, that broadly accentuated any curves that they proudly wanted to demonstrate. Others were less provocative in their wears, but, much more forward in their actions as they were either seen kissing another male, or female.

Whatever the case may be, one thing was clear, that they all had a very intense passion that would make politicians and religions think twice about rebuking sex as a sin. Regardless of the conflicts that were put on them, there were no women as sensually enticing as those of Ricefield.

The primed candidate to replace the next chairman of Ricefield, along with the woman he spotted, was on the balcony of a bar, right above the dark streets of the night, and around the lively casino, the broad fanfare that ran along the waterfront. Flowing in from their right was a narrow, twisted street which was filled with century-old ancient buildings draped with overhanging balconies.

It was early evening.

A cool breeze skimmed across the bay and flowed up to the area where they were located. The blonde-haired woman was leaning dangerously over the railing, enjoying the colorful insanity of Ricefield's celebration time: a sea of colorful costumes, bizarre floats, and loud music.

The town was loudly rocking with the sound of drum beats, samba music, a band playing some intense, raw songs full of energy that was pulsing the streets. Satirical visages of infamous criminals and politicians led the big parade. The streets were filled with flashy costumes, exciting music, swaying hips and conga lines, during this sultry summer night. There was enough sake and imported alcohol to make even the strongest drunk collapse on the streets of the city.

Fireworks burst over the harbor as he stood behind the woman and stared at her. A male intuition told him that he had never made love to a woman quite like the one standing before him. Most of them either laid with him because of an ulterior motive, whether it was from lust, or that they wanted something – clothes, jewels, the good life, or the protection that money buys. None of them had ever have gotten under his skin.

Until tonight.

"I've never seen you around these parts before," the red-haired man repeated as he swooped in closer to the luscious blonde. "You must be new because I would've never allowed such a beautiful woman like you to escape from my eyes."

When she turned around, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight. She had night heat, the sensuous quality in a woman that made most men ache with desire. A body created purely for sin, skin the color of light cinnamon, brilliant cerulean pearl-like eyes, and wet red lips. The traces of whiskers on her face only further radiated a fierce potential that would be demonstrated behind closed doors. Her legs were long and slender, legs that would forever entrap a man as they would tightly squeeze him while passion was being exchanged.

He watched the woman glide towards him as she took hold of his arm and leaned against him. The body heat that she was exerting intoxicated his senses and drove his bestial instincts wild. He wanted to –no, needed to- have her at that very instance. However, before he was able to dictate the terms of the engagement, he saw a coy smile appear on her face.

It looked like she was holding a secret, one that was so immense that it would threaten to disrupt all that he knew. The community was still a patriarch-dominated society, one that upheld the traditional male-over-female ideology from years past. Each gender had a distinct role when it came to continuity, and no one was the wiser. But, just from a single glance of the alluring blonde, he was sure that this one transcended the borderline.

"Show me," were the words huskily slurring out of her mouth.

"Huh?" was the only thing he could unintelligibly respond with as he was caught off-guard by her sudden words.

"Show me to your room."

The man felt his heart jump out from his chest but quickly recovered his demeanor as he cleared his throat before nodding and replying, "Well certainly...it's the best room in the hotel as you can see..."

A grin crept up on the corner of the woman's face as she willingly followed the red-haired male to his room.

* * *

"Shit!" Naruto cursed out loud as he scrambled to his feet, merely avoiding the harmful blast. He had been sent out on a mission that had searching through all corners of the earth in search of some elusive information.

"Damn, damn, damn!" he muttered as he managed to duck under some loose debris. It was a task that required that usage of a more tactful approach. Unfortunately for both the assigner and the receiver, Naruto had as much finesse as a raging bull in an antique store.

Of course, the primary goal was easy as all he had to do was get rid of his initial chakra and disguise himself as a pathetic guard. The trouble started when he ventured to the Hidden Village of Sound to replenish his supplies while spending the night at a low maintenance corner.

Naruto had overheard the city people talking of a possible downfall of the current government with the two replacement candidates having less than stellar feedback from the countrymen. The whispers had rapidly accumulated as a celebration was being planned in anticipation for their new leader. Even though he did not want to get involved in the state of politics, he knew that as an outsider, he would be able to get away with the heinous crime.

For the blond, it was an awkwardly painful choice between a hedonist who felt it necessary to have his whims fulfilled, and a totalitarian figure who would rule with the force of fear in the background. However, he opted to eliminate the pleasure seeker after finding out that the former did not have favorable eyes upon Leaf ninjas.

Make no mistake, the young man had evolved into an elite soldier, someone who was able to stand toe-to-toe with the Akatsuki and come away unscathed. For all the strength that Naruto had acquired, there are something's that have never changed. For instance, his inability to digest, process, and break down every single step of a plan and to see if there are any potential flaws within it.

The red-haired playboy was easily eliminated due to the fact that he was exhausted from the seemingly never-ending love making session that the two were engaged upon for the evening, and then had his life carefully snuffed away without much of a struggle. Now, as for the reason as to why Naruto was running for his life, is due to his careless mistake...

"Damnit! I hate being the girl, forgot that girls always have to do all the work!" Naruto's face blushed a deep shade of red as images from last night's events were rushing into his head. Because he had overlooked this small, but important point, he became negligent with the corpse, along with his escape route, and inadvertently got caught by security. Due to this cry of alarm, his chakra levels immediately spiked from the adrenaline rush, causing the sensors and any other high-leveled enemies to take notice of him.

That was how an S-level bounty hunter was able to locate and follow him.

"Tajuu kage bunshin no-jutsu!" a familiar voice shouted out as hundreds of clones were created. Each duplicate clung to the ceiling with the sole of their feet as all of them looked straight down at the opponent. Naruto knew that he would require all of his focus and stamina to concentrate on the battle at hand, since one misstep would be costly.

The opponent, a tone-figured silver-haired individual heavily draped in a silky black kimono and an uneven cut kasa, took his sword a slip off the sheath as he jumped into the air to take the initiative. This immediately wiped out a group of the clones as the lone enemy landed right back where he started.

"A sword style specializing in god-like speed where a destructive quick draw is the main source of your offense. Am I missing anything else?" Naruto asked as he amusingly stood by from the corner of the ceiling.

"Is this it? Is this the limit to the mighty Orange Swarm, the partner of the Kyuubi? The limitations to your powers?" the bounty hunter responded, not taking the bait.

Naruto nodded as the destroyed bunshins relayed the information that they were able to obtain. None of the remaining clones waited for the blade user to act again as they all began to swarm the opponent. It hardly proved to be useful as the copies were instantly obliterated by a heavy, sweeping gust swirl.

Instead of getting frustrated, the blond simply continued to nod his head as he clenched his fist before saying, "Tajuu kage bunshin no-jutsu." Another batch emerged as the same process repeated itself. However, the sword user was not patient enough to go through the dance again as he seamlessly teleported to the location of the original caster before landing a spinning kick on him.

The Jinchuuriki managed to cross his arms in time to block most of the blow as he pushed his adversary back before unleashing another torrent of bunshins. This time the move visibly upset the silver-haired man as he released his weapon, clearing out the entire area of the copies.

"That's it, I've found it," the blond happily muttered to himself as he got into a defensive stance.

"You!" the sword holder shrieked out as his body began to tremble while his skin had a dull purple glow to it. It was the reaction of an incompatible merge between a non-containing shinobi and a piece of a tailed beast. "I'm going to KILL YOU!"

As soon as the war had reached the point of a drawn-out stalemate, each combative group had been looking for a distinct advantage to pull the momentum toward their side. It was immediately discovered that having a demon container was a huge strategic piece, if not for their immense strength and unorthodox beastly summons, then as a decoy chess maneuver. In an attempt to even the odds, some countries had gone to extreme lengths to duplicate the Jinchuuriki-like abilities for their high skilled soldiers. Some had become successful, but most would regress to that of a primitive beast that were only able to process simple thoughts.

In an instant, the swordsman materialized behind Naruto as he sloppily swung the weapon in a huge arc. Allowing his momentum to carry him, the purple glower launched his body straight into the blond, hurling both of them to a building wall. Cackling out loud, he grabbed the Jinchuuriki's head and slammed him down.

"This! This should heal me! When I'm done with this, I SHOULD BE THE WINNER!" the purple monster screamed.

"Too bad you went berserk," Naruto's calm and composed voice chided the silver-haired merger. "If you had kept your calm, then you would've been a worthy opponent."

"What are you talking about-"

The nin that had gone crazy couldn't finish his sentence as Naruto pushed his right palm into his enemy's back. Knowing that it wasn't finished yet, the Jinchuuriki leaped back as he split into an exact replica as he was engulfed in a blazing red aura. Both of them raised an arm to the air as a gigantic rasengan was created as they threw it at the injured swordsman.

Naruto combined the split parts back together as he quickly took out a small scroll from his pouch and unraveled it. Making a beeline to the unsheathed weapon, he was about to get a hold of it when he felt something grab him.

"Not too easy! If I lose, nobody wins! Waaaaaaaah-ACK!"

The insane, silver-haired swordsman's flesh had grotesquely festered into a meatball shape as he had lost his original appearance. Wrapping its disfigured legs, arms, and flopping flesh around the Jinchuuriki, it let out a loud snarl before self-imploding on its prisoner. The explosion was loud enough to be heard around a few mile radius, while the blast was strong enough to demolish half of a town.

"_They __don__'__t __call __me __the __Orange __Swarm __for __nothing,__" _the blonde grimaced as he came tumbling down from his temporary shelter. Although it was a bunshin that received most of the damage, the technique that was used required him to absorb a good deal of the shock as well. It didn't help that the cover did not provide him much protection from the discharge.

Naruto stumbled to his feet as he leaned against a collapsed wall for support. Bringing his left hand to his mouth, the blond coughed violently into his palms. He didn't have to check with his fingers to see what the warm sensation was as he wiped the blood off of his tattered robe. Gasping for a few seconds, he stood still and listened to the beating of his own heart for clues to his body.

"_It__'__s __almost __over,__" _the tired young man reassured himself as he felt his pulse quicken, _"__I __just __have __to __do __this __part __for __the __village__.__"_

Here was Uzumaki Naruto, just peaking into the ripe age of twenty-six, standing as the last, active, combat-able ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Lifting his right hand to his ears, he did his best to nullify the dull ringing that was still echoing from the last attack. It also didn't help that it had rendered him half-blind while causing slight moments of vertigo to affect him. He was able to catch his breath during the short period of rest as he bit the lower part of his mouth.

"_If only I could find a place to escape from this nonstop assault and find some safer grounds, then I might be able to finish the last parts of the plan."_

Reaching inside of his ripped shirt, the container groped around until he was able to grab hold of the necklace. Only a small fragment of it remained, however, it was enough to remind him of his resolve and the promise that he had made to the fifth Hokage.

"_If __I __don__'__t __come __back __alive, __then __old __lady __Tsunade __will __probably __kick __my __butt __even __in __death...and __I __did __make __a __promise __to __her __so __I __ain__'__t __going __to __back __out __on __my __word __now,__" _Naruto amusingly mulled to himself as he felt some color return to his face. He then blinked a few times as he muttered some inaudible words before dashing the tears from his eyes. Squinting for a few seconds, the young man could only see dust clouds and fallen debris in the distance, as all indications told him that the threat had disappeared. He felt his skin crawl as he knew that a non-rampant background only signaled the calm before the storm. Having his guard up while shielding his face, he began to move forward in a snail-like pace.

Naruto was careful on his way around the desecrated town as all he saw before him were shards of flesh, pools of blood, parts of tools, and bits of ruined gravel on the trail. It didn't help that the only remaining corpses around him were bit and pieces of the human body, none of them fully intact. Wincing at the reminder of how gruesome the war had been, and the appalling amount of casualties that it had brought, Naruto clamped his hands into a fist as his will strengthened.

The young man managed to drag himself to the center of the area as a huge crater, almost thirty feet in diameter, stopped him from going any further. This particular hole made his breath hitch painfully as he felt blood rising up to his lungs. Naruto covered his mouth as he didn't want to make any unnecessary sounds to alert any potential enemies of his location. He blinked a few times as he was able to barely make out the traces of his bunshin, lying on the floor, looking completely defeated.

He still felt the effects of the jutsu, however, the sacrifice that he made was a small one compared to the huge advantage that he had just gained. The blond had infused a mixture of the kyuubi's chakra and a piece of his tail to create a copy that was solid enough to last for an entire 'battle'. Naruto knew that the battered figure would not disappear for another hour or so. Shaking his head, he knew that Kurama, the nine-tailed fox, would be whining inside his head about the loss of a body part.

"_**Naruto,**__**" **_a voice growled to him, _**"**__**If **__**we **__**ever **__**get **__**out **__**alive, **__**then **__**I **__**swear...**__**"**_

"_Well, __it __was __worth __it, __don__'__t __you __think __so __you __stupid __fox?__" _the young man grinned as he sat on the desolate landscape. This verified to him that the war was indeed going on for too long. Not only were people suffering, but also was nature. The price that the environment was paying was enormous, much so that it was thought that full-recovery for it would be an impossibility.

Naruto sighed as he briefly wondered if this was what his life would equate to – a never ending game of hide and seek with the penalty for the loser being death. In the past, such notions would've unnerved him and made him seek out a better option. Though at this point, he would kill for a peaceful moment of ramen indulgence. The Jinchuuriki smirked at his own miniature deprecation, as he knew that half of it was probably true.

His thoughts were cut short when he felt a burst of killing intent followed by a spike in malice in the horizon. When he first came upon the realization of this discovery, he was confused by the findings. Describing it to people like Shikamaru was impossible as he merely informed him that it was a gut feeling followed by fuzzy foundations of chakra colors swirling inside of him. However, with the help of careful analysis, and constant experimentation, he was able to verify just what these shades of pigments implied.

In normal circumstances, Naruto would not have hesitated to run towards the direction of the threat before neutralizing it. The ongoing war had made him change his approach as it forced him helplessly watch people die. It wasn't as though he wanted this to happen, but a costly lesson involving the lives of some leaf-nins drove the idea straight into his brain.

"_I__'__m __sorry __for __this, __but __I __must __complete __my __mission __first,__" _Naruto thought to himself as he bit the bottom of his lip. The aftereffect of the recent attack had subsided along with the abnormal level of chakra. It wasn't safe to traverse the terrains, especially around unknown territory that wasn't marked with any specific points. That was where a 'crows nest' would come in handy, as any passing allies would be able to pick up a faint chakra signal informing them of the latest transaction in a few transmitting source codes.

There weren't many ways during the war for people to communicate any kind of code without telegraphing their chakra to those that were crossing the area. Luckily for the Hidden Village of Leaf, Shikamaru had been able to quickly solve this quandary by implementing the usage of a 'grounded' tool. It was a small brown plastic bar that did not, or could not be a source for chakra channeling. Naruto was told, skipping the logistics of the item, that if he were to leave it somewhere on the floor, then any individual that was recognized under the system as a Konoha denizen, would likely receive the secret message.

Naruto followed the basic instructions as he turned the switch on, inserted a two-hour battery life, then dropped it. Taking a deep breath, he rummaged through a small pouch as his fingers took hold of a vial. He easily unscrewed the top as he was able to confirm the remaining three soldier pills at his disposal.

Much of the previous backlash was siphoned out from the latest creations of the supplements, but, it could be said that the newest drawbacks were a lot worse. Gone were the slow-driven exhaustion waves that forced the user to perform at less than three-quarter of their capacity, and in its stead was the strong addictive chemical that was coated around the core. Along with the nicotine-like effect, there was also the risk of a small nerve fiber carrying the sensation of pain, heat, and cold temporarily disconnecting itself with the rest of the brain. On top of this, if the dosage was not cycled properly, then an instantaneous crash was likely to occur. However, the outrageous amount of sustained energy outweighed any of the consequence that it bore, particularly for a ridiculously high-regenerative ninja such as Naruto.

"Time to go now, can't waste anymore time," the blond said out loud. With one last glance at his beaten clone, he made a sign with his hands before flashing away from the battlefield.

Naruto quickly made his way to the decoy part of the hideout before canceling out the jutsu. As much as he would've loved to learn the flying thunder god technique that was created by his father, he couldn't complain much about his own version of it. While the Yondaime entered into a dimensional void for his skill, he still stayed within the boundaries of reality. However, unlike his father, who needed other people and special marks to arrive at a destination, Naruto only required self-control. Of course, since he was still corporeal, he still left chakra traces along the path, allowing any skilled sensors to track him.

The blond bit his thumb before taking out a scroll and smearing his blood over the scribbled template. A few seconds passed before a corpse had popped out replacing the manuscript. The replica gave the strong impression of a generic human that had just died. Aside from it being an advantageous studying tool for medical-nins, they also provided a dummy to fool the visions of the sensors. Naruto left it aside as he began his short trek back to base.

It was during this walk that he had stumbled upon a familiar site that had brought upon brief pangs of flashbacks. A time before he had known of the prophecy, before the world was consumed with war, before his instincts narrowed to that of survival. However, the emotion quickly faded away as he managed to catch a glimpse of malicious intent around the area. Swaying his head to the left, he felt the sharp edge of a wind jutsu barely prick the side of his ear.

He wasn't willing to take chances with this ambush as he threw himself down to the ground. Two more disc-shaped wind jutsus went flying overhead, as Naruto was able to ascertain the situation. The blond dug his feet into the soft gravel as he began to channel some chakra through his legs. Another barrage of weak wind jutsus were fired at his vicinity. He gritted his teeth as he felt his body temperature drastically increase, the Kyuubi pressing outward towards Naruto's body.

"_Stupid __fox,__" _Naruto mentally cursed, _"__Why __do __you __never __agree __with __the __plans __that __I __make?__"_

"**Because...****" **the Jinchuuriki responded, replacing his host as the speaker as he gained control of Naruto's body, **"****I****'****m ****always ****right!****"**

A red aura coated Naruto's body as it began to subtly transform him. Two red crystalline tails grew out of his back as the whiskers on his cheeks became more pronounced, and his fangs bore a fiercer curvature, while his nails grew and strengthened to the length of bestial claws. The former sealed prisoner grinned maniacally as he dug his fingers into the ground. Both of his tails moved to the air as they acquired pincer-like handles, with each tip spinning a diminutive rasenshuriken. Each translucent appendage selected a viable threat before catapulting to the target.

The telltale sound of a loud crash told Naruto all he needed to know. The gathered chakra along with the demon amplification was enough of a boost for him to use the land as a launching pad. Knowing that he was limited in time, the child of the prophecy held his left hand around his wrist before touching his stomach.

"_Shit!__" _Naruto thought to himself as he allowed his partner to take control of the body, _"__Out __of __all __the __things __to __do, __I __trigger __a __damn __trap.__"_

"_**I always did warn you about those human emotions Naruto."**_

"_Yeah? Well, it's one of the few things that are keeping me sane in this goddamn war, Kurama! The moment I lose that, then I might as well kill myself!"_

Naruto eventually stopped, as he knew that adding more distance would merely be counterproductive. Shaking his head, the blond looked around to see if he could distinguish any part of the area. He knew that time was of the essence, as every second he was exposed out to the opening would increase his chance of meeting an enemy camp. That was the last thing he needed.

The building that the he had stepped into gave him a glimmer of hope, something that he sorely lacked over the past few days. Much to his surprise, Naruto had stumbled into a headquarters, which was now mostly ruined. The unsteady dripping of water from the decayed ceiling puttered harmlessly onto a nondescript flag. There was a noticeably thinner layer of oxygen that surrounded the issue of any defining colors or lingering chakra contained within the proximity of the room. All of this echoed the sentiments of the intruder.

"_**It's safe."**_

That was all the confirmation that he needed as Naruto dropped his guard and switched off his combative modes. The area was a chakra void zone, essentially nullifying any and all presence of the said intangible. Even if someone were to find his location, they would all be fair game as taijutsu would be the sole effective skill within the compound.

"_When I meet them in the after life, I'll make sure to thank both Gai-sensei and Lee."_

It was a sobering thought, but he was over the tragic deaths of his comrades many months ago. Sitting down upon the concrete floor, he tried his best to do one of the meditation exercises that he was taught by the perverted toad-sennin. A simple task of clearing the mind of any obstinate thoughts; to cleanse the soul for the upcoming grind. It was a straightforward but capable method of coping for Naruto.

Slowing everything down and shutting the world out allowed the one called 'Orange Swarm' to settle down and breathe in his surroundings. The sound of slow warter droplets dripping against the stone-covered walls was soothing his heart, a welcoming reprieve against the grains of grief. Still, it wasn't until he felt his body stagger from its original stance that he recognized the unfettering rage simmering into his consciousness. Naruto struggled to recognize the feeling that was bubbling inside of him, festering at his innards while sapping away at his life.

Rest.

The attenuated young man, in his ripped and blood covered robes, felt his body slink down to the floor. After coming to the shocking realization of what he was missing, both physically and mentally, Naruto was left feeling hollow and cold – just like the abandoned complex that he was occupying. Shutting his eyes, he decided that a brief moment of suspended animation might be good for his own welfare.

The Jinchuuriki awoke with sudden alacrity as he was holding a kunai on one hand while the other was shielding his eyes. When it finally registered to him that there were no threats abound, the young man groggily opened his eyes as he peered around his surroundings. Remembering where he was, Naruto relaxed his arms as he stretched his upper body into the air before heaving a heavy yawn.

"_Damn, I must be getting old if sleeping in places like this make my bones feel all...tight and stuff."_

"_**You're quite the poet Naruto."**_

"_Shut it Kurama, at least I wasn't the one sleeping with the doll."_

"_**For the last time, it's a protective accessory to help prevent mind thievery, you dolt!"**_

Naruto snickered as he gave himself a quick pat down to ensure that he was still completely intact. Even if the world was going to end, he was assured in the fact that he would still have the Kyuubi nearby. The rested young man coolly walked out the door as he dug around the pouch for a soldier pill. Spotting the supplement that he was searching for, he popped it into his mouth as he felt a surge of life rushing through his veins.

Now that he had a clear view of things, Naruto saw that he was ways away from the primed location and would require a few hours to reach the destination. It normally wouldn't be a problem, but, knowing that the rare opportunity for him to slip to base unnoticed and without any suspicious persons monitoring his behavior, he wanted to keep his presence close-to invisible. Besides, he didn't think he wanted to meet with his remaining teammates at base just yet.

Walking has a funny way making people's brain function in different manners. Some start to think about the possible future, while others get distracted over useless topics, and there are those that conjure up memories of the past. For the blond, he found himself walking down memory lane, a place that he recognized all too well.

Over the course of the long, drawn-out war, the boy of the prophecy would conjure up imaginary conversations with his long lost friends. A lot of them were becoming, or at least had regressed to sketchy representations to which blurred the line between fact and fiction. It was getting harder and harder.

Looking over the pile of untouched carcasses on the sidewalk only made the young man wince as he thought of an old childhood memory. It was of Team Seven and when they were together, or at least the newly created version with Yamato being the team leader and Sai replacing Sasuke.

Sasuke. The root of this entire war.

Naruto fiercely shook his head as he didn't want his emotions to boil over at the wrong time. This wasn't the right time to be griping about things that were currently out of his control, he just had to get back to base and report the success of his mission.

The sun had coasted to the other side of the world when Naruto arrived at the designated base camp. It was an unimpressive collection of dust and leaves scattered across the ground with absolutely no resemblance to a secret headquarters. However, for those that recognized the classic insignia of Sai, they are able to discern the irregular configuration of the scenario. The aforementioned blond was one of them, as he kicked at the loose pebbles as his eyes scanned the area.

"_It__'__s __clear, __I __should __be __good __to __go,__" _the leaf-nin blinked as he then picked up a rock before whispering into it, "Tell the old lady that her favorite ninja is back." Naruto placed the inanimate object in between his thumb and index finger before effortlessly crushing it. He had to ensure that there nobody would be able to retrace the line of communication that was just used. No sooner had he finished did he abruptly feel everything spin out of control as darkness promptly claimed him.

Naruto groaned as he rubbed his head while commenting, "You'd figure that after doing this a million times, that I would get used to it." The transport had always made him a little sick.

"Still feeling the effects, Naruto-kun?" a familiar feminine figure greeted him as the container could only grin before responding, "Granny Tsunade has you playing the secretary again Shizune nee-san?"

It was a friendly banter that never grew tiring for either of them. Sure, it might be a bit routine in their mockery, the jovial insults being constantly recycled but, it was as though they were recapturing a tiny bit of the past, hoping that things might return to normal one day.

"So, should I give the report to you or save it for her?"

The dark haired medic-nin shook her head as she stood while crossing her arms replying, "We had a lot of casualties recently Naruto-kun, it was merely a coincidence that I came by while you were entering. It also doesn't help that we're short on active-duty medics, so you're going to have to catch her when during her break."

Just as the blond was about to open his mouth, he was interrupted, "In her office, better go fast before she has to get back to work again."

Turning around, Naruto began to head towards the direction of where he knew the former Hokage was located as he heard Shizune quickly add, "It's good to see you return." Smiling, he hurried over to the slug sennin's location.

He still remembered the way to the fifth's office, and barely took notice when he had to detour around collapsed walls or jump over large, weakened crack on the floor. After reaching the half-sturdy double doors, Naruto paused as he thought about the expression that he should have and the way he should greet her. The blond drew a blank on both as he decided to go with his gut instincts and allow the situation to dictate his actions. Kicking the doors open, he flew into the room as he shouted out, "Guess who?"

Naruto did his best to ignore the appearance of the Hokage's office. It still looked like a disaster area from last he came to give his account. The brick walls were tarred with scorch marks, and the furnishings were barely above the condition of useful. Only the presence of Tsunade, some papers, and a refurbished bookshelf informed the visitors that this was a place of importance.

"Naruto?" the voluptuous blonde woman finally replied, "Is that you?"

The aforementioned container suddenly felt like a child again, as he couldn't find it in himself to retort with any sort of sarcastic jabs. Instead, he nodded before answering back, "Yeah...I'm back."

Shizune's teacher and current head of the remaining Leaf Village lifted her head as a warm smile was on her face. Naruto couldn't help but feel relief wash over him as he saw that the older woman was still doing fine. Time had finally caught up to her as her age was showing through the advanced genjutsu, though she did not allow anyone to treat her any differently.

"So, progress report."

He gave a brief rundown of all the events that had transpired, making sure not to leave out any crucial detail. The norm for these situations, at least for Naruto, would be to get some rest, help the weary, then receive intelligence for the next mission. A mundane cycle that was critical to the survival of the remaining Leaf ninjas.

"The troubling thing granny Tsunade," the container said with a grim face, "Is that a trap was strategically placed where I wouldn't notice it until I triggered it."

The Godaime frowned at the mention of this as she scribbled something on a piece of paper before turning her attention back to the container. It was clear from the outline of her forehead that something was visibly bothering her, however, Naruto knew better than to question her on it. Anytime a person would show concern over the female Hokage's welfare, she would immediately dismiss the notion while doubling her efforts to hiding the revealing signs.

"Get some rest Naruto," Tsunade told him in a matronly tone, "We won't be needing your services for a while, so recuperate as much of the damage as possible."

Naruto wanted to open his mouth and object, but the look on the female sennin's face told him that keeping quiet would be the wise thing to do here. Collecting himself, the blond obeyed the instinct as he exited the office and headed straight for the barracks. He saw that there were a few bodies lying on the cots, sleeping peacefully and resting from the wounds that they had incurred on the battlefield. He was thankful that none of them were at attention when he arrived into the room as he wanted to neither disturb nor garner unnecessary attention onto himself.

The young man quickly stripped off his torn battle garbs as he dived into one of the nearby bathroom stalls to take a shower. As the cold water began to drizzle from the showerhead, Naruto felt it to be soothing on his rough skin. He reached over his war-scarred body with a sponge as he flinched from making contact. The fox had given him a ridiculous regeneration ability that had allowed him to sustain fights longer than the average ninja. However, not even the Kyuubi was able to heal some of the damages that he was afflicted with.

After Naruto cleaned himself up, he stepped out of the showers before putting on a pair of boxers as he stretched his body. The blond blinked a few times when he felt his limbs tremble with fatigue. He hadn't realized how exhausted he had become from the constant traveling and battling that he had gone through.

"_Good __thing __Sai __isn__'__t __here,__" _Naruto amusingly thought to himself as he prepared the small cot. _"__He __would __probably __be __peppering __me __with __questions __before __checking __to __see __if __I__'__m __still __up __to __his __weird __standards. __I __bet __he__'__s __even __doing __it __on __purpose...__"_

Sai, while still a high-skilled, able-bodied ninja, was too valuable of an asset to lose out in a random ambush or meaningless battle. His ability to manipulate and inject life into inanimate objects proved to be a huge boon for raising special defensive entrapment for the Hidden Village headquarters. After the number of soldiers had dwindled to a few, they had decided to label the black-haired male as a 'medic' unit and force him in the back row for protection.

Yawning aloud, the young man fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

* * *

_The blond felt his body shake involuntarily as he saw both fuzzy eyebrows Jr. & Sr. stand before the wave of enemy nin while releasing all eight chakra gate-limitors from their bodies. He knew that they were at their respective limits at this point and they were only doing this so buy him time to escape, but, he couldn't move from the spot. He didn't want to see any more of his friends fall because of the different beliefs, because of the war, because of...him._

_The throng of soldiers stopped as they waited for their commanding officer to step forward. The three leaf ninjas stood with their mouths agape as they saw who it was. The telltale sign of the snake insignia, the sleek silver katana, the neat kimono, and the familiar haircut of a Uchiha..._

"...fuck you!" Naruto growled under his breath as his body jerked forward. "A-another nightmare...shit."

Kurama's partner cradled his knees with his arms as he buried his head within the small alcove of his lap. He felt his heart threatening to rip out from his chest while his chakra coils were gearing to explode while his emotions were in turmoil.

"_**Which one was it this time?"**_

Naruto didn't want to tell him of the vivid images that still haunted his consciousness even to this day. The dream was an amalgamate of a few memories thrown together into one chilling imagery. He was re-living the downfall of Leaf, along with the deaths of some of his closest friends, except as a mere spectator rather than a participant. He witnessed the town getting destroyed by a hauntingly familiar figure, accompanied by numerous bodies flatly lying on the ground. It didn't help that he didn't get until there was nothing left to do except to help evacuate the townspeople.

The evacuation process was a disaster with everything being thrown into chaos and nobody listening to orders. By the time a procedure was at hand, most of the secret tunnels and routes were blocked off by the raging enemies. Circumstances spiraled out of control when an artificial Jinchuuriki user stepped forward to obliterate the entire floor without hesitation. He didn't know how it happened, but Kakashi had been able to force everyone to retreat as he volunteered to stay behind and do his last duty as a ninja of the Leaf.

It didn't stop there as the scene in front of him blurred to something that he didn't want to see. Naruto wanted to stop himself, scream at the top of his lungs, immobilize his feet from moving as he knew what would happen next. The dream was looking for another body, make it two, and both of them were ones that he dreaded discovering. It didn't take him long to find it as a muffled cry froze every vein in his system.

Sakura was on her knees, leaning against the walls of a cavern while Sai was kneeling next to her, trying to prop her up while keeping the enemy at bay. It was clearly a desperation move as the animated ink was easily dispelled without much of a hitch. The pink-haired kunoichi shoved Sai and Naruto aside as she told them to get away from her as fast as possible. Even if he wanted to reject the proposition, the medic of Team Seven had told them that she would only slow them down, and rather than all of them perishing here, they should live for another day.

As Naruto helplessly departed from his teammate, it took all the muscles and fibers in his body to keep going as he saw that the people who Sakura was going to halt was...was...

Sasuke.

There were more deaths included in his nightmare, but the ones he considered his precious people frightened him enough to awaken him. The blond took in a deep breath as he tried to go through a quick meditation to absolve his mind of the terrible dream. However, he was unable to relax his body or focus on the task at hand as he felt his fluctuating mental state pushing his adrenaline.

"Naruto," a woman's voice whispered softly to him. "Are you having nightmares?"

Naruto didn't question Tsunade's presence as he felt her envelop his entire body with her arms. He knew that if people got wind of such intimacy, then it would stir an unrelenting controversy that would land both parties in hot water. Keeping his mouth shut, the container allowed his head to sink into the woman's heavy bosom as he closed his eyes and heard her heart beat. For such a scandalous act, Naruto was able to become calm as waves of nostalgia flowed through him. The way the Godaime was hugging him while stroking his hair alluded to previous years where he would gently cuddle next to the older woman for hours during the cold nights in the village.

The last thing the blond heard was an apology as slumber trumped his senses.

He was groggy. He was disoriented. He felt life returning to him as oxygen, along with blood, began to circulate through his brain. Naruto then noticed that because of a harness, he was completely paralyzed. It was here that he felt an emotion that he hadn't experienced since the beginning of this entire war – fear. The blond wasn't sure if it was because of the blindfold obstructing his view, or if he had lost his eyesight, but everything was completely black to him. The only assurance he got that this was not a torture session was because of the lack of pain. If his physique was tampered in any way, then he knew that Kurama would not stand idly by and allow it to happen.

Speaking of the nine-tails, Naruto tried to tap into the sealed area of his brain where he knew he could openly communicate with his guest. However, something was preventing him from the line as all he got was a blank.

"What's going on?! Where am I? Shizune nee-chan? Sai? Old lady Tsunade? Anyone?" he asked in a shaky voice.

It was strange how the restraints were not only holding his strength back, but also nullifying his ability to tap into his chakra. The only people that knew of this were the people back in Leaf that he trusted...

"We're sorry Naruto, but we don't have much time, this is the only way we can do this," Tsunade told him in an even-keeled tone.

"Wh-what?! Tell me, tell me what's going on right now!"

Naruto's voice was filled with rage as he heard hints of hopelessness from the speaker. He didn't like the sound of it, but from his position, he knew that he wasn't able to fight against whatever they were doing to him. Just as he thought he was being betrayed and sacrificed by the Hidden Leaf, he heard Tsunade's voice chime closely in his ears.

"Naruto, we don't have much time, so just keep quiet and listen to me, okay?"

There was a brief delay in her delivery as Naruto could've sworn that he heard her swallow her tears back.

"We've just been ambushed by two enemy groups. One of them is lead by a genuine Jinchuuriki user being controlled by that 'unknown' party, and the other is Sasuke's faction. Even with all of the remaining survivor's strength, including yours, we estimate this to be our total loss. So, instead of giving everything up, including the key to the world's survival, we've formed a drastic plan."

Naruto's hands formed into a tight fist.

"It's a combination of theories, forbidden jutsus, willing bodies, and a subject to make this work, and it's still a big gamble, but we are willing to take this chance."

Just then, the slamming of doors along with cries of help could be heard echoing through the hallway. Another person appeared to have entered as the footsteps stopped at where the slug sennin was located as the voice responded,

"Tsunade-sama...we don't have much time remaining. I have already completed the sketch that you wanted me to draw. Also, the first barrier has already been breached and it will only be a matter of time before the tear down the walls."

"Thank you Sai."

Sai's sketch? Forbidden jutsus? Sacrifice? Before Naruto had a chance to ask, the woman continued to explain to him.

"Like you heard from your teammate, we don't have much time left so I'll try to make this quick. If everything goes according to plan, then you will be transported to a parallel dimension, well, not you, but your mind will be going there. Have you heard of parallel dimensions Naruto?"

She took the silence as a negative.

"It basically means that it is a different version of...of our world Naruto. Something's might be different, others may be the same. They could be somewhere forward in time, perhaps even back in time. What we are counting on..."

Tsunade wasn't able to properly complete her sentence as she began to cough up blood as a huge Shinigami appeared. Chuckling a little, she then inhaled sharply before continuing,

"Is that...you will...go back in time...and make sure...this never...h-a-p-p-e-n-s..."

Naruto was never able to hear the entire explanation and didn't even have time to ask a question. Hell, he wasn't even able to say goodbye to her as his eyes rolled to the back of his head while his body slumped to the floor like a bag of weights.

The child of the prophecy was dead.

**Author's Note - **Yes! After much deliberation and bantering between my beta reader, I've decided to completely tear down the original fanfic and start a whole new one. I have to essentially give a million thanks to my beta reader...it could even be said that the person wrote basically half the story! Kept my ego in check for this story and made sure that I kept in line with the deadlines and the focus of the story. If you have to thank anyone give half of it to the person mua ha ha! Next chapter is uh...coming soon.


End file.
